Local schools keeping close eye on swine flu

Kassia Micek

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, April 26, 2009

While one Texas school district is closed due to the recent outbreak of swine flu, classes are running as normal in Montgomery County.

All six local public school districts are following guidelines from the Texas Department of State Health Services and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials are either sending letters home or posting information on the district website to educate the public.

“I think it’s something if we’re careful and take good care of ourselves … we’ll all get through this,” said Faith Casperson, Conroe Independent School District head nurse. “It’s like any flu. You want the health and safety of your students and staff.”

The district will provide wellness trends, including absences due to illness, especially those consistent with the swine flu, to the Health Department, according to an e-mail from CISD Communications Director Kathy Clark.

While the United States had 40 confirmed cases by Monday afternoon - three in Texas - the outbreak in Mexico includes more than 1,600 reported cases with a suspected death toll of up to 149, Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, told The Associated Press.

The CISD consists of 24.9 percent Hispanic students. Magnolia ISD is 21.2 percent Hispanic. New Caney ISD has 30 percent Hispanic students. But districts have no way to track where students travel during weekends or holidays.

“I’m certain we would want to send out something asking if they traveled or will travel to Mexico if this gets more severe, but we’re not there yet,” said Morris Fuselier, NCISD associate superintendent for administrative services.

New Caney ISD officials are reviewing the district’s incident management plan in the event it needs to be used, Fuselier said.

“I don’t want to see people panic and think currently there is any reason for alarm,” Fuselier said. “In our school district, there is no cause for alarm.”

The Willis ISD is monitoring and enforcing temperature limits.

“If a student runs a temperature of 100 (degrees) or more, they will be sent home for 24 hours,” Kim Strozier, WISD assistant superintendent, stated in an e-mail. “The 24 hours will be enforced, and students must be fever free to return to school. Fever does not mean that there is a flu diagnosis; however, it is a precaution.”

Magnolia ISD is following updates from the DSHS and CDC, according to an e-mail from MISD Communications Specialist Charlie Brown.

In Montgomery ISD, staff is monitoring the health of students.

“If your child is running a fever, do not send them to school,” Montgomery ISD Superintendent Jim Gibson wrote in a letter to parents. “You are urged to contact your family doctor, especially if other symptoms are present.”

“As long as my kids don’t get it, I’m not concerned,” she said as she laughed it off.

College officials were meeting to determine how to address the situation.

Although it is uncommon for humans to become infected, those in direct contact with pigs, such as children near pigs or workers in the swine industry, are at risk.

That is not a concern among Montgomery County Fair Association officials. The annual fair ran March 27 through April 5.

“All of our animals have been slaughtered,” said Paul Zylman, MCFA officer in charge of the livestock and barrow committees. “Most of our (livestock) comes from north of here or the Midwest.”

The number of confirmed cases across the nation doubled Monday, with three high school students north of San Antonio among the list, according to the DSHS.

All schools and extracurricular activities in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District were canceled, according to DSHS. Swine flu was lab-confirmed earlier this month in two 16-year-old male students who have recovered. The third confirmation came Monday.